The St. Joseph’s/Candler Foundation received $68,720 in grants from The One Hundred Children’s Foundation to continue its high quality care at The Children’s Place at Candler Hospital and for scholarships to Camp Adam Fisher, where children with diabetes enjoy a classic camp experience while learning to manage their disease.

The grants were part of a total of $120,000 awarded by The One Hundred Children’s Foundation during a special ceremony aboard the Georgia Queen riverboat. Since 1994, The One Hundred had provided pediatric financial support (raising more than $4 million) and volunteered at the Dwaine & Cynthia Willett Children’s Hospital at Memorial. The organization became its own foundation this year and extended its outreach services to include St. Joseph’s/Candler, J.C. Lewis Primary Health Care Center, and other charitable organizations with programs focused on pediatric health and wellness.

“The One Hundred Children’s Foundation is proud to award two of our 2018 grants to St. Joseph’s/Candler,” said Ann Walker, President of The One Hundred Children’s Foundation. “This is an historic and exciting expansion of our foundation’s mission as we strive to serve more children’s health and wellness needs in our community. As our motto says, ‘Together we will make tomorrow better by working for healthy and happy children today.’

The grant funds for St. Joseph’s/Candler were designated for two purposes. The first is to help provide camp scholarships for 20 children from Chatham County with diabetes to attend Camp Adam Fisher. This camp is designed to provide kids with all of the fun, activities, and camaraderie that are part of a traditional overnight summer camp while also providing education on diabetes management in a safe, supervised environment. The scholarships will be shared between St. Joseph’s/Candler and Memorial.

The second part of the grant will help finance a renovation and re-equipping of the procedure room at The Children’s Place at Candler Hospital. The Children’s Place is where St. Joseph’s/Candler provides its pediatric acute care program. The bright and cheerful space helps ease the anxiety of a hospital stay for young patients and their parents. This area is full of special kid-friendly features such as toys, games, TV’s and computers, and even a playroom. While The Children’s Place has its own unique look and feel, its patients deserve the same high quality care that benefits adult patients at St. Joseph’s/Candler. This renovation will help keep The Children’s Place on the same cutting edge of medical technology as the rest of our facilities.

“The women of The One Hundred Children’s Foundation have demonstrated an extraordinary commitment to initiatives impacting children’s healthcare in our community,” said Vernice Rackett, Executive Director of St. Joseph’s/Candler Foundations. “Our team is humbled to be recognized for the Camp Adam Fisher scholarships and The Children’s Place enhancements that will improve the lives of children and create a caring and meaningful patient experience.”